Thursday night’s 10-2 pounding of the National League East champion New York Mets by the National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers in front of a Citi Field crowd of 43,882 in Game-3 of the 2024 National League Championship Series will best be remembered for the monster 422-foot home run into the second deck by Dodgers international superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani on the second pitch of the game to give the Dodgers a (very) early 1-0 lead, and the 377-foot two-run home run to left field by Dodgers superstar right fielder Mookie Betts with one out in the top of the sixth inning to make it 7-2 Dodgers.

But as he seems to do almost daily (or nightly), it was yet another clutch single by Dodgers popular superutility player Kiké Hernández, this one an infield single off the glove of Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor in the top of the third inning, that would drive the Dodgers third and game-winning run.

But topping Kike’s under-the-radar heroics was that Betts fellow – again. All the 32-year-old Nashville, TN native, eight-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger, six-time Gold Glover, and former MLB MVP and Player of the Year did was go 4-for-6, with a home run, a double, and two singles (a triple shy of the cycle), while driving in four and scoring three of the Dodgers 10 runs; this following his un-Mookie-like 4-for-18 (.222) performance against the San Diego Padres in the NL West Division Series that included three strikeouts.

“I can’t really describe it, but I felt pretty good,” Betts said postgame of how he has been feeling in the batters box three games into the 2024 NLCS. “It’s good to feel good. It’s good to help the team,” he added.

Yes, “It’s good to feel good.”

Play Ball!

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